The present invention relates to a so-called pneumatic adaptive wing, i.e. inflated with compressed air and change-able in form by means of the targeted effects of compressed air, in accordance with the preamble to claim 1. Various pneumatic wings have been proposed and are of themselves known, that which most resembles the present invention from WO 98/03398 from the same applicant.
This is constructed as a purely pneumatic pressure system, where compression forces work on the outer surfaces, which for their part are joined by textile straps, in which tensile forces operate. Due to the pressures which can be employed in such known wings, the surface loading and thus the carrying power is limited; the tensile forces in the outer skin and the straps, made possible by the pressure, also limit the torsional stiffness of the known wing. In addition the deformability of the wing is limited.
The aim, which is to be addressed by the present invention, comprises on the one hand the production of a pneumatic wing with a prescribed profile and a determined lift coefficient CA; on the other hand the wing profile should be capable of modification as a whole or partly by the application of compressed air inflated elements and of being optimised with regard to the flying speed, whereby the usable speed range is thus overall increased. Further the lift is increased and the torsional stiffness improved.
The addressing of the stated aim is given in the characterising part of claim 1 with regard to the main features of the arrangement, in claims 2 to 13 with regard to further advantageous and identifying features.